Multiple printing-press



QNO Model.) 4 SheetsSheet l.

W. C. GHAMBERLAIN.' MULTIPLE PRINTING PRESS.

No. 532,026x Patented Ja,11. `8,1 1895.

WITNESS S:1 j

W. C. CHAMBERLAIN. MULTIPLE PRINTING PRESS.

4 `s,I1eeIs-sheet 2.

(No Model.)

Patented Jan. 8, 1895.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet A W. C. GHAMBERLAIN.

MULTIPLE PRINTING PRESS.

No. 532,026. Patented Jan. 8, 1895.

Second @Zucn Seco nal )Qn/l1.

Second Imp. @lnder INVENIUR www' f BY gM/L ATTGRN EY (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

W. C. CHAMBERLALN. MULTIPLE PRINTING PRESS.

NQ. 532,026` muted-JPII. 8, I895.

ATTORNEY UNr'rED STATES PATENT lirricEa VILTJIAM C. CHAMBERLAIN, OF PLAINFIELD, NEWT JERSEY.

MULTIPLE PRINTING-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,026, dated January 8, 1895.

Application filed October 9, 1893- Serial No. 487,548. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM O. CHAMBER- LAIN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Plaineld, Union county, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Multiple Printing-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to the driving of multiple presses or other similar machines to the end that they may be driven in unison or separately.

As is well known, multiple presses consist of a number of similar printing machines arranged in close relation to one another so as to make substantially a single machine and are each adapted to operate upon and perfect a web of paper for subsequent delivery by a delivery'mechanism connected with said machine; the several webs of paper in some instances, according to the nature of the product desired, being associated together to pass onward as a single product.

l-Ieretofore each of the independent machines of the multiple having their individual trains of gearing for running their devices in unison have been provided with intermeshing intermediate gears, which permanently connect each of the independent machines together so that all the gearing formed a single train in gear with the main driving shaft, and hence whether it was desired that each machine of the multiple should perfect a web of paper or that only one or two should perfect a web, it was necessary that all the machines should operate at least idly in order to get the motion from the driving shaft to the particular machine that was to actulally print the web of paper for subsequent delivery.

Where in the multiple machine each of the individual machines is designed to form only a portion of the complete product of the entire machine, it is impracticable to make one or more of the intermeshing intermediate gears removable, because in one case it would disturb the arrangements of the several machines with one another, making it a tedious matter to properly reset the removed gear, and more particularly in another case it would still render it impossible to operate any one of all the machines while one or more of the others remained inoperative.

The present invention is designed to provide means by which any one or more or all of the machines of the multiple may be run or stopped from operating according as it is desired to vary the capacity of the machine as a Whole, and also so that should any machine break down or be temporarily out of order, its stoppage will not interfere with the running ofthe other machine or machines.

As a more ready understanding 'of the invention will be had from a detailed description of a practical embodiment thereof, such description will now be given, reference heing had to the accompanying drawings form ing a part hereof. v

In said drawings-*Figure l is a side elevation of a multiple printing machine provided with the invention. Fig. 2 is an opposite side elevation of the same machine. Fig. 3 is a sectional end view of so much of the multiple machine as is necessary to illustrate the improvement. Fig. et is a similar view of a modified arrangement of the gearing. Fig. 5 is a face view of the clutch member.

Referring to said drawings the multiple machine consists of three printing machines A, B, C,'rnounted in this example of an embodiment of the invention in tiers one above the other in suitable frame Work. The individnal printing machines of the multiple are duplicates of one another, that is to say, each machine consist-s of a first type or plate cylinder, a coacting or first impression cylinder, a second type or plate cylinder, and acoacting or second impression cylinder, said four cylinders each having intermeshing toothed Wheels, a, l, o and 6.7., respectively, fast to their shafts forming an individual train by which they are driven in unison. Each of said individual trains of gearing are entirely independent of the other individual train, so that so far as they are concerned they only serve to operate the devices of their particular press.

The frame work of the lower press Aof the multiple provides bearings for the main driving shaft D for driving all or either one of the presses, and said shaft carries at one end a driving gear e which is in mesh with the second impression cylinder gear offsaid press A.

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The driving shaft gear e is loose on the said shaft and is provided with a clutch g for counecting and disconnecting it to and from the shaft, so that when said gear eis disconnected it will have no effect to run the press A of the multiple machine,

Each of the shafts of the second impression cylinders of the several machines carry in addition to the gears before mentioned a supplemental gear h, i, j, which in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are arranged upon Vthe side of the machine opposite that occupied by the individual trains of gearing, which supplemental gears are loose on their respective shafts and are provided with clutches k, Z, m, by which they may be independently connected or disconnected from the shafts. The impression cylinder shafts are chosen for this supplemental gearing for convenience, but it is obvious any other shafts of the multiple machine maybe employed. So, too, instead of arranging thisy gearing on the opposite side of the machine it might be on the same side with the individual trains before described, as is shown in Fig. 4.

The several supplemental gears are connected together by intermediates at, o, and receive motion and all run in unison from ya gearp 011 the driving shaft D. This gearp may be fast or loose on the driving shaft. If

it is loose there will be provided a clutch q ,s shown in Fig. 3, by which said gear may be connected or disconnected from its shaft.

When all the individual presses of the, multiple machine are to operate to perfect a web of paper said presses will receive motion from the driving shaft D through the supplemental gearsh, fi, j, said gears being then clutched to their respective shafts, while the driving gear e is preferably unclutched from said driving shaft so that it need not act to drive the lower press A although being in mesh with the second impression train gear cZ will revolve loosely on the driving shaft.

If it be desired, say, to operate only the lower press A, the driving gear e will be clutched to the driving shaft and the several clutches k, Z, m, will be moved to disconnect the supplemental gears h, c', j, from their shafts whereupon only the lower press will be driven while the upper presses B and C will remain at rest, the supplemental gears being in mesh with the driving gear p will simply revolve loosely. If the driving gear p be provided with the clutch q as before suggested said clutch may be moved to disconnect the gear p from the shaft and no motion will be communicated to the supplemental gears.

Should it be desired to operate the two upper presses B and C while the lower press A is at rest, the driving gear e will be disconnected from the shaft D, and the two supplemental gears t', j, will be clutched to their respective shafts, while the other supplemental gear h is disconnected from its shaft but being in mesh with the driving gear p will now simply act as an intermediate revolving loosely on its shaft, and communicating the motion of the driving gear p to the gears z' and j so that the lower press A remains at rest and the presses B and C are alone driven. In the same manner the upper press C may alone be driven while the other two presses B and A remain at rest by simply disconnecting the supplemental gear c' from its shaft in which case the two supplemental gears 71,1', will act as intermediates for driving the upper press C only.

If the middle press B be the only press it is desired to, operate while the two presses A and C remain at rest its supplemental gear't Willbe connected to the-shaft while the gears h and j will be disconnected from their shafts, the gear hacting as an intermediate for driving the middle press B while the other gear j rotates idly. Thus either one or more of the several individual presses may be driven from the driving shaft without disturbing the other press or presses by simply connecting or disconnecting the proper supplemental gears to or from their shafts.

It is not essential to use the driving gear e at all, because the lower press Amay be driven without the other presses by simply connecting its ysupplemental gear h to the shaft allowing the other gears ,j, to revolve idly disconnected from their shafts; but the use of said gear e is preferable as a means of safety so that at least one press can be run should the driving gear p become mutilated.

In order to preserve the proper relation of the several individual presses to one another so that their products will issue in substantial register with one another without tedious adjustment, it is preferred to employ clutch members with a single diametrical tooth and coacting notch set slightly out of the true dia- Vmetrical lineas is shown at in Fig. 5, so that the loose` gears can only be connected to their respective shafts when in one certain position that is previously determined by the position of the key or keyway y with respect to some predetermined point of the cylinders.

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Where thesupplemental train of loose gears are arranged in close relation to the individual trains of gears as in Fig. 4, a single driving gear e may be used and slippedy back or forth on a spline on its shaft to mesh with either the lower gear eZ to run the pressA solely or with the gear h to operate either one or all the presses.

It is to be remarked in conclusion thatthe particular arrangement of gearing and cylinders of the individual presses may be varied from that show\n,.as the many manufacturers group the cylinders of each press differently; and thatwhilethere is shown a multiple machineconsisting of three individual presses, such machine may consist of only two presses or more than three without material modification of the. invention.

The gears 7e, Z and m will preferably be circnlarly adjustable on their hubs as indicated in Fig. 2, so that one press may be adjusted with respect to the other.

l. In a multiple printing machine comprising a number of independent printing machines, the combination with the impression cylinder of each machine and its toothed wheel for driving the cooperating mechanism thereof, of another gear on each of the impression cylinder shafts, a clutch for clutching each of said gears to said shafts, intermediate toothed wheels connecting said gears in train, and a driving gear having its axis parallel with the axes of the gears in train and in mesh with one of said gears on the impression cylinder shafts whereby said driving gear may drive any one, two or all of said independent printing machines, as set forth.

2. The combination of a multiple printing zo 'WILLIAM C; CIIAMBERLAIN.

Vviitnesses:

Gno. H. GRAHAM, E. L. TODD. 

